Assets Declaration Office targets Malawi embassies

Officials from director of Public Officers Declaration say they will now be asking envoys in Malawi foreign missions to start declaring their assets following alarming reports that they are involved in rampant plunder of public money.

Tukula: There is reasonable suscipicion

The director, Chris Tukula said this on Tuesday in Lilongwe.

“The focus will now be in foreign missions because of the continous plunder of public resources in Malawi’s foreign missions,” said Tukula, a trained lawyer.

This follows the arrest of of two former envoys, including former deputy ambassador to Ethiopia on allegations that they stole K300 million from the embassy coffers.

It is also suspected that huge sums of money have been stolen from Japan and Zambia foreign missions, prompting the government to make an impromptu audit of all embassies.

Tukula said it would be easier to track down embassy money thieves if staff involved in procurement, heads of department and senior staff are forced to declare their assets.

“We are now reviewing the compliance list to include staff in our foreign missions. All staff working in foreign missions are public officers,” he said.

Tukula however complained that this job and other assignments might be compromised because of lack of money following the government decision to squeeze its budget for 2016/17 from K800 million which the office had submitted to K480 million.

The President, cabinet ministers, parliamentarians and other public officers are by law compelled to declare their assets as way of curbing corruption and plunder of public resources.